Tag Archives: projectors

There have been plenty of advancements in home entertainment technology in recent years with things like full high definition televisions improving the quality of images. Most of these recent advancements have been taken in with open arms and found themselves easily selling to the mass markets except for one which has divided opinions for different reasons – 3D Technology.

3D technology has been put on televisions by big name manufacturers like Sony, Panasonic, LG and Samsung since March 2010 in the hope that since the introduction of 3D films at the cinema, they would sell like hot cakes for people looking to get the same 3D experience in their home for watching 3D films, Sky 3D or playing 3D games. This hasn’t been the case, research by Deloitte back in August 2010 found that only 2 percent of UK consumers were planning on purchasing a 3D TV for the next 12 months onwards from that. Deloitte’s research proved to be fairly accurate too as 3D televisions still haven’t managed to fly off the shelves as quick as some manufacturers may have hoped for.

So what are the negatives that have led to such poor sales with 3D televisions?

The main negative with 3D televisions like most non necessity goods in a tough financial climate is the price. With 26 million households having TV in the UK, a new television is not at the top of most people’s lists of things that they need to go out and buy especially when a price tag of about £2000 is what you would have to pay for a 55” 3D ready Samsung TV and that’s before buying the 3D glasses which for an average size family will start taking you towards the £2500 mark which isn’t exactly loose change. Another question you have to ask yourself is what would you do with your old 55” television that is working fine at the moment? It is a question you have to ask yourself before considering spending so much on a TV that probably isn’t as good as your current TV, the only difference being it is 3D ready. Is that worth another £2-3000?

Which probably leads you to ask are there any alternatives out there?

This comes in the shape of 3D projectors. A lot cheaper than a 3DTV set up as people can get a full 3D set up with a projector ready to connect to their sky box, blu-ray player or games consoles for under £1000. Only a small percentage of people know about 3D at the moment and an even smaller percentage of those realise you can achieve 3D with a 3D projector set up in your home. So an obvious advantage there is the price.

Another advantage is the ease of use, within 5 minutes, a 3D projector can be set up on a coffee table ready to bring life size images on to a projector screen or a white wall. It doesn’t take a genius to realise that when you get an image in your living room double the size of a 3DTV for less than half the price, that a 3D projector is a more affordable, realistic 3D solution. Sporting events like the 2011 Rugby World Cup which starts today would appear so much more lifelike. Picture the difference between seeing a huge 6 foot life size England rugby player running towards you and scoring a try in your living room or only being able to see a small 3D man that you would see on a 3DTV.

One disadvantage with 3D projectors before was that the highest resolution you could get was 720p but with Optoma recently releasing a 1080p 3D Projector this means that images can now be displayed in full high definition for the highest quality. That means that you can get the most out of 3D games, Sky 3D and 3D blu-rays from modern 3D projectors.

Is there a future for 3D?

With the emergence of companies like Legend Films from San Diego who turn older 2D films into 3D in a matter of weeks and the BBC starting to record popular Saturday night programmes like Strictly Come Dancing in 3D for the public to watch, it seems that 3D will be here to stay. With greater awareness 3D projectors can ensure to boost the growth of the 3D market as they are more accessible to the public as the solutions are cheaper than 3DTV’s and much larger images can be achieved, great for filling a wall with life size 3D football players, next year’s London 2012 Olympic events or your favourite games and films. The future of 3D could be big. With the help of 3D projectors.

BenQ W710ST – The W710ST is the only 3D ready, 720p short throw projector on the market at the moment making it ideal for home use especially for gaming as the projector can be closer to the screen. The w710ST also boasts 2500 lumens and dual HDMi.

BenQ MX850UST – The MX850UST is an ulta short throw with a 0.45:1 lens on it. 2500 Lumens, XGA resolution projector that is 3d ready and has interactive whiteboard capabilities. Ideal for education users.

Just Projectors have released a free prize draw! Just Projectors regularly hold free prize draws with this one giving people the chance to win an Optoma PK301 Projector. This pico pocket projector is worth over £300.

Just Projectors always suggest buying a projector that comes with a good 3 year warranty for peace of mind. Our top 5 Manufacturers for supplying good warranties are; Optoma, Viewsonic, BenQ, Mitsubishi & Hitachi. When the warranties have run out, you may not face any problems, however if you do, you will want some advice on the most common things that can go wrong on your projector. Here is a list of what we consider are the top 10.

Top 10 Projector Problems

Colours distorted on the image

Lines / Dots on the image

Projector overheating

Projector turning on then off straight away

Projector on but no image

Shadows appearing on the image

Dull image being produced

Projector inputs not working

Colour around the edge of the image

Lamp door switch broken

Projector Problem 1 – Colours from projector distorted on the imageThere are a few reasons why this may be occuring, the first thing to check first is your projector cables, the best thing to do first is to change these to see if this fixes the problem. If not, the problem may lie with your colour wheel / main board.

Projector Problem 2 – Lines / Dots on the imageThis is a problem caused by the projectors main board. When there is a problem with the main board, it may be worth considering comparing the cost of getting a completely new projector rather than buying the main board.

Projector Problem 3 – Projector overheatingThis is quite a common case & is quite distinctive. It is usually caused by a problem with the fan. If there is no noise then that means the fan will not be working any more to help cool down your projector. Other things to look out for are making sure that you aren’t leaving your projector in very bright direct sunlight as this obviously won’t help the projector cool down.

Projector Problem 4 – Projector turning on then turning off straight awayThere are a number things to look out for. The first thing to check is your power supply and make sure that all of your cables are in fully working condition and connected properly. After that, it would be worth checking how dusty the projector is, this may occur after a long period of time. This would mean having to service your projector.

Projector Problem 5 – Projector on but no imageIf you can get your projector to turn on but then get no image, make sure that the cables that you are connecting with are connected correctly. If this is all OK, then it most likely you have a problem with your lamp ballast unit or the lamp itself. The lamp ballast unit is what provides power to the lamp. If the lamp ballast unit goes, then most likely the lamp will usually go as well. Price varies on these units so your projector would have to be taken in for an assessment.

Projector Problem 6 – Shadows appearing on the imageThis problem only applies to DLP Projectors. This yet again could be a problem with the projector’s main board or it could be a problem with the mirror. The projector would need to be assessed to find the full extent of your problem. A mirror for your projector would be a reasonably cheap repair but again with the main board if that is the problem, it would be worth considering buying a new projector.

Projector Problem 7 – A dull image being producedThis problem only applies to LCD Projectors. All projector lamps will have a certain lamp life varying from model to model. If the image is starting to get more dull, it would be worth thinking about getting a new bulb. Some projectors will tell you how many lamp hours have been used to date, if not you may have to have a think and estimate how long you’ve been using the projector for. If you think it is near the estimated lamp life of the projector, then it may be time to enquire about buying a new projector bulb.

Projector Bulb sales: 0800 027 7785 / 01189 070703

Projector Problem 8 – Projector inputs not workingIf your inputs are not working on your projector then if after you’ve double checked your inputs are connected correctly, this problem is related again to the main board. For a definite price on the real cost of this, you would need to get it assessed by a projector repair centre. For Just Projectors repairs department, find the direct dial at the bottom of this top 10.

Projector Problem 9 – Colour around the edge of the imageThis may occur on LCD projectors if the LCD prism becomes faulty. An LCD Prism is an expensive component on a projector and should only be thought about if absolutely necessary, in most cases it may just be best to look at buying a new projector.

Projector Problem 10 – Projector Lamp door switch brokenThis is quite a minor problem to resolve. A new interlock switch for the projector lamp will generally be quite cheap. Find details below for more information on Just Projectors full range of projectors, repairs department direct dial & the phone number for general projector enquiries.

Just Projectors are here to set the record straight on what we consider to be the top 10 projector myths. Buying a projector can be hard if you have no knowledge of projectors & there is a lot of choice out there. Here at Just Projectors we get asked all the time about these following myths, read our explanations on all of them.

We will discuss the following Projector Myths:

The more lumens, the better the projector

All HD projector’s are HD

Using a white wall is as good as using a Projector Screen

You can use a usb slot on a projector to make an image

USB reader means you get full power point slides

Unknown brands aren’t as good as more well known ones

Using an SVGA Projector with a Mac

The higher the Contrast, the better

Rainbow effect on DLP Projectors

DLP projectors have poor colour reproduction

Projector Myth 1 – The more lumens the better the projectorThe common misconception with this myth is that normally the more lumens on a projector, usually the more expensive they are, which means people usually think that because they are spending more on a projector that this is better. This isn’t always the case. There is a certain number of lumens needed to produce a certain image size, the bigger you want the image, the further back your projector will have to go. This means the number of lumens needed will need to be higher to be able to show a bright enough image from further away. For instance, if you have an average size bedroom and there’s only going to ever be 2 people watching the projector, you don’t need 5000 lumens, this is far too many as the projector will not be far away from the screen & lighting can usually be controlled in a bedroom. If you are using an ultra short throw projector this situation will change as they can produce a bigger image from not as far away, therefore not needing as many lumens.

Another example of this is when buying a projector for home cinema, if it is in a dedicated room you will not need high brightness, what is more important is to get a high contrast ratio for the definition of blacks on the image when watching movies. Lower lumens projectors will normally give you a higher resolution and therefore better blacks.

Projector Myth 2 – All HD Projectors are HDThis is a common misunderstanding for consumers looking to buy a projector, not helped by the number of false advertisers out there who will brand their cheap £200 projectors as HD when they are merely SVGA projectors with a HDMI connection on the back. The main misunderstanding is that just because you link a projector to a Full HD source, the projector will not produce a Full HD image unless the projector’s native resolution is 1920×1080.

Projectors can only be branded as HD Projectors when their native resolution is 1920×1080. Any other projector with a hdmi conenction can only be classed as HD Ready. Beware of this fact as a lot of the false advertisers will put in the small print that the projectors they advertise will only support HD, this is tell-tale sign that the projector isn’t actually HD. You will not be able to get a HD Projector for under £400

Projector Myth 3 – Using a White wall is as good as using a Projector ScreenThis is one of the most common of false economies executed by projector consumers in today’s market. A lot of home cinema users buying projectors will plough all of their budget into buying a really high end projector then just display the image on to a plain white wall.

Consumers ask us though, won’t displaying an image from the projector on to a white wall be fine? We can’t argue that displaying your projector on to a white wall will give you an image but it’s like having a formula 1 car & fitting used tyres on to it. It will go round the track but not give you optimum performance. If you are buying a good projector, buying a projector screen will reduce white hotspots, & at the same time contrast and colour saturation will be vastly improved. Projector Screens can cost under £50, not much money but will make your image a whole load better.

Projector Myth 4 – You can use the USB slot on a projector to make an imageThis one quite can be quite confusing, there are two types of usb connection one being USB-A, the other USB-B.USB-A can be used to connect a cable from your laptop to projector which then enables you to use your projector remote as a mouse for using on the screen.

In terms of USB-B, only about 2% of projectors can use this connection to be able to create an image. The majority of projectors will only connect via VGA, HDMI or DVI connections. People’s mistake is that you can plug in your USB to your projector to then make an image, this functionality on a projector is very, very rare so take a lot of time if you’re looking at this functionality.

Projector Myth 5 – USB Reader means you get full powerpoint slidesUnless you have specific software like Epson Easy MP Software loaded on to your computer or laptop with the powerpoint slides on it, you will not be able to do this. A USB reader on a projector only means that you will get a slideshow. This myth is one to clear up for the mobile projector user and businesses and schools using projectors hoping to show their full powerpoint slides without having to link to a laptop or computer. You will not be able to get such powerpoint effects such as fade out etc. so that means the only way to show your powerpoint is by saving a snapshot of each slide as a jpeg.

Projector Myth 6 – Less well known Projector Manufacturers aren’t as good as more well known onesWhen it comes to buying a projector, people automatically think that because they have heard of brands like Acer, Casio etc. that they are better than less well known projector manufacturers like Viewsonic, Infocus etc. Companies like won’t be as well known as the others because they specialise in projectors.

What it isn’t fair to say is that lesser know projector manufacturers like Viewsonic or Vivitek make worse projectors than brands like Hitachi or NEC. For instance Vivitek is part of the group that make components for some of the more well known projector brands. Brands like Viewsonic are specialists in the projector world, they only make projectors and visual equipment and aren’t as well known to consumers as they don’t have their fingers in as many pies. This is why you can pick up great deals on these brands as you are not paying that little bit extra for the brand name as you may do with others. Brands like Casio are well known for making calculators, this doesn’t hold any relevance to making projectors. Just because you haven’t heard these names before, doesn’t mean you should write them off because they are projector specialists.

Projector Myth 7 – You can use an SVGA projector with a mac If you buy a SVGA projector and try to use it with an Apple Macbook, this is the easiest way to make your image look like a kid’s jigsaw puzzle. There is no other way to put it but the image will be horrendous. An SVGA projector resolution is 800 x 600 pixels, the macbook’s standard resolution is 1280 x 800 pixels, the minimum resolution projector you need to use for a macbook is an XGA Projector. Anything less and you will be highly disappointed.

Projector Myth 8 – The higher the contrast ratio, the betterHere at Just Projectors, we get asked a lot about contrast ratio and the most common question is why is it so much higher on some projectors than others? One of the main reasons is contrast ratio gets measured in different ways on DLP & LCD Projectors, this means that you couldn’t directly compare an LCD Projector’s contrast ratio against a DLP Projector’s contrast ratio. You should only ever compare contrast ratio on an Lcd projector against another Lcd projector or a DLP Projector against another Dlp Projector. Contrast ratio will only usually become an important factor when deciding upon a projector when buying for home cinema use.

Projector Myth 9 – DLP Projectors show the rainbow effect
This Projector myth has been around for a while, the rainbow effect as it’s known is when ‘shadows’ of green, red or blue are perceived to have been seen by the eye when the colour wheel of a dlp projector isn’t fast enough. This is true in some cases, however, if the dlp projector has a high speed colour wheel, it will not show the rainbow effect on the image. DLP projectors seem to have been generalised so it is believed that all of them have this effect but since advancements in technology and improvements in the speed of the dlp colour wheel, this is now unfair to say as this effect has now greatly been reduced. However if you opt to go for a cheap dlp projector you will often see the rainbow effect still.

Projector Myth 10 – DLP Projectors have poor colour reproductionYet again, another unfair statement to make about DLP Projectors. As said before, LCD projectors will provide better colour reproduction than their DLP counterparts but Just Projectors are here to set the record straight on DLP Projector colours.

Different projectors will have a different number of segments in the colour wheel. So like a paint box, the more colours available, the more colours that can be reproduced. As time goes on DLP projectors are being produced with more and more segments in the colour wheel meaning the gap between dlp and lcd projectors on colour reproduction is narrowing. We at Just Projectors think that LCD will always be the superior out of the two but in no way do modern DLP projectors produce poor colours.

Now our Top 10 myths have been uncovered and set straight by the Projector Experts at Just Projectors, we hope this helps you on your purchase of a projector in the future. If there are any more questions you have or want to see our full range of projectors, projector screens, projector lamps, visualiser & interactive whiteboards, find our website below or call our experts today:

Here at Just Projectors – The Home Cinema Specialists, we have been reviewing and testing our full range of Full HD Projectors to be able to give to you our list of the Top 10 HD Projectors.

A Word of Warning from Just Projectors – As specialists in the world of Projectors, we would like to part a bit of knowledge and critical advice when buying a HD Projector. Some Projector companies on the internet will falsely advertise things like ‘HD Projectors for under £200’. This is false advertising. The Projectors they are advertising are HD Ready projectors & are usually noisy, cheap SVGA Projectors, & will normally come with an ariel connection. They will have a HDMI slot which means that on the spec they will say that they support 1080p. Their native resolution is not 1920×1080. They will not give you a Full HD 1080p image! Avoid these advertisers at all costs as they will sell the projectors as HD Projectors and will put it in the small print that they can only support HD.

Find below the Projectors that have made it into our Top 10. There you will find product specifications and Projector reviews from our website:

Just Projectors Top 10 Full HD Projectors

When buying a HD Projector it can be difficult to decide whether or not you need a 1080p Projector. There are a few things you will have to consider before making a decision. Just Projectors have split our top 10 into 3 different price categories & listed basic specs, awards & the best features of each projector below:

Best Value Full HD Projector Under £1000:

Viewsonic PRO8200 | £710| 2000 Lumens | Spare LampJust Projectors supply a free spare lamp with this Projector meaning if getting a great value Full HD Projector is what is wanted then this ticks all the boxes. It has 2000 Lumens, Full HD resolution, a Spare Lamp at an unbelievable price of just £710. Say no more.

Best Colour Reproduction Full HD Projector Under £1000:

BenQ W1000+ | £690 | 2000 Lumens | Great for GamingThe BenQ W1000+ have managed to provide a full hd projector for under £1000 with great colour reproduction, brillaint for commercial use. BenQ seemed to have cracked it here. What Hi-Fi have given it 5*. Find the review here: BenQ W1000+ Review

Best Big Image Full HD Projector Under £1000:

Infocus SP8600 | £629 | 1700 Lumens | Balanced ImagesThe cheapest in our top 10 at a very low £629, if you are on a budget and want a big image with high lumens for a low price then the Infocus is the way to go We were not surprised when What Hi-Fi gave the SP8600 4*. Find the review here: Infocus SP8600 Review

Optoma HD20 | £757 | 1700 Lumens | Crystal Clear ImageOptoma make high quality projectors & the HD20 is no exception. 1700 Lumens making it ideal for the home cinema user. At £757, this projector can still pull its weight against it’s more expensive rivals. What Hi-Fi have given it 4*. Find their review here: Optoma HD20 Review

Best Value Full HD Projector £1000-£1500:

Viewsonic PRO8400 | £1379 | 4000 Lumens | Spare LampYet again, Just Projectors can offer a spare lamp with this Full HD Viewsonic. This step up from the PRO8200 has means the PRO8400 has 4000 Lumens for an incredible price. As said before this comes with the spare lamp meaning the low price of £1379 is a steal in our eyes.

Best Quality Full HD Projector £1000-£1500:

Epson EH-TW3600 | £1019 | 2000 Lumens | 2 HDMI InputsEpson are the world’s leading brand when it comes to Projectors & this model keeps up appearances of the Epson brand. LCD technology on the EH-TW3600 makes for impressive colour reproduction. 2000 Lumens makes it ideal for home cinema use. The Epson has 2 HDMI inputs for great connectivity & a very flexible throw ratio to make installing into the home a lot easier.

Best Value Full HD Projector over £1500:

BenQ SP840 | £1700 | 4000 Lumens | Filter Free DesignThis BenQ is ideal for commercial use with 4000 Lumens brightness. Excellent colour reproduction and gives you the best resolution with such a high brightness. If you have the budget there, the SP840 will get you a lot of Projector for your money.

Mitsubishi FD630U | £1778 | 4000 Lumens | Great Lamp LifeThe Mitsubishi FD630U is perfect for educational & commercial purposes when there is a large audience size. 4000 Lumens means it will be able to cope with very bright conditions. The 1w standby mode will also add to the lamp hours you get from this projector. This projector will bring the boardroom & classrom to life.